A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! I just wanted to reassure that Rose will be back soon and her and Jack will begin the road to recovery. To keep it realistic though, don't expect Jack to be too quick to go back to the way things were, but at the end of the day, I'm a Jack/Rose shipper. Happy, romantic times will show up in this story.

Denver Colorado

Molly opened the door to a dejected Jack. The poor young man had bags under eyes from lack of sleep and any optimism that had once encompassed him, it was long gone. It looked as if he had just survived another disaster, this one being more personal.

"Jack, sonny. You're back...and without Rose?" Molly glanced behind him, half expecting to see the redhead by his side.

Jack's normally bright eyes were dim with sadness and confusion. On the way back, he could think of nothing but Rose and her whereabouts. About why she had left him and where she could be now. Whether or not there could have been something he could have done to change things. What really disturbed him was that there was no one else to blame. No one to point a finger at and no clues to work with on where to go from here.

"He didn't have her. She wasn't there. In fact, Hockley has a new bride. A very nice girl named Alice. She seems to adore the bastard," Jack looked down at the stone porch. "I don't know what happened...or where she could be. She didn't even leave a note..."

Molly's heart broke at Jack's words and the dejected slump of his shoulders. She gently took his hand and pulled him into the house and lead him into the sitting room.

"Let me get you some food and then we can sit and have a conversation, darlin'. I'm not liking the sound of this at all," Molly tsked, directing Jack to one of the comfortable chairs in the room before going to give instructions to the maid.

Jack sat in one spot, his eyes on his hands, feeling more helpless and lost than he had ever felt before, even more so than when his parents had died. What was he going to do now? Could he raise Cora on his own? Would she be okay without her mother? He looked up at the ceiling in anguish. He couldn't understand it. Why? Why did she leave them? It didn't make any sense.

Ten minutes later, Molly returned with the maid behind her, carrying a tray with two mugs of hot chocolate and some sandwiches.

"Sit it on the table there, Sophia," Molly directed, nodding to the table in front of Jack. "Dig in darlin'. You have to keep your strength up. If not for yourself, than for Cora. Goodness knows, she's gonna need it, poor thing."

"What am I going to do, Molly? How am I going to find who took her? I mean...I have no clue where to start," Jack picked up the steaming mug, but did not take a drink. He really had no appetite.

Molly took a deep breath. This whole situation was so sad. Jack obviously loved Rose and they had a beautiful baby together, but maybe Rose discovered that she didn't return those feelings after all. Maybe she got scared when she realized that and just took off. It was an cruel and irresponsible thing to do, but it happens at times, especially when the girl is so young and just taking her first breaths of freedom. She just hated that it hurt a kind boy like Jack. He deserved better than that.

"Maybe I should go back to the house...maybe I missed something...but who would do this? I can't think of any other enemies we'd have besides Cal..."

"Oh Jack...darlin', I hate to even suggest it because I like Rose, but she's young and...at that age, us women hardly know what we really want and we get scared by our decisions and make even more poor ones and..."

Jack frowned, not sure if he was going to like what Molly was trying to say. "Just go ahead and say it, Molly."

"Maybe no one took her. Maybe she left on her own."

Jack squeezed his eyes shut at the words, wishing that he could do the same to his ears. He had been avoiding thinking just that, not wanting to think the worse. It was better for Rose if she had been kidnapped...if she hadn't wanted to leave him...but if she had done this on her own...that meant that everything they had...everything they had built...it had all been a lie! He didn't think he could face that...but now that Molly had spoken the words...he was going to have to.

"But we have Cora…," Jack's voice was weak, almost pleading. It as like he was begging for a different conclusion...any thing different from the one Molly had given, no matter how impossible it may seem.

"You have Cora and you're going to take good care of her. I know you will, because I saw how you look at that child. She's your whole world now. You concentrate on taking care of her and healing that broken heart."

"I don't even know why she left like that. No note...left the icebox and the door wide open...leaving Cora unsafe...it's like she didn't care about us at all," Jack winced at the next thought that came to him, but he couldn't stop it. "Maybe she didn't. Maybe I was just some grand adventure and Cora was just too much responsibility for her."

"Maybe," Molly placed a sympathetic hand on his knee and made him look her in the eye. "Do you have any relatives that can maybe help you with Cora, sonny? You're welcomed to stay here as long as you need, but sometimes family is the best way to heal a broken heart."

Jack shrugged. "I have an Uncle and a cousin...but I haven't seen them in years. My father and his brother fell out and had stopped talking and when my parents died, I took off before anyone could show up. Didn't bother looking back...I don't even know if they'd even remember me."

"Well...maybe dropping in on the only family you and Cora have got, maybe that will take your mind off things some and give Cora more people to love her. She's a beautiful baby. Very mild tempered, I kind of hate to give her back to ya," Molly chuckled, causing Jack to smile a little.

"I guess she's the only good thing that's come out of all this," Jack sighed, giving a nod of his head. "But...I think that would be a good idea. They'll be surprised to see me, though."

"But I bet they'll be pleased to get you back in their lives, along with that baby girl. Who wouldn't be?"

Rose, Jack wanted to answer, but he kept his mouth shut. He couldn't dwell on Rose like that and take care of Cora too. So for now on, he'll think of nothing but Cora. It'll be hard, but he believed that he could do it. Rose didn't want them, obviously. It hurt to admit that, but he'll do so and let her go. He was not Cal. He was not going to try to force things.

"Molly...I'd like to thank you for all you've done for me and Cora. Taking us in after we just show up on your doorstep...giving good advice..."

Molly just chuckled and waved away his thanks. "The only thanks I need is you taking care of that baby and moving on with your life. And a letter here and there, letting me know how you're coming along. I want to keep in touch."

"Sure."

"Jack, I know that it doesn't seem like it now, but you will heal from this. You'll heal and you'll move on. You're young and you're handsome. This isn't the end for you, darlin'."

"I wanted it to be. I wanted it to be me and Rose forever. I just don't understand why she didn't feel the same."

Molly didn't have an answer to that. Her heart hurt to see Jack so broken like this. She didn't know where Rose was now, but wherever she was, she hoped that it was worth this. It had better be, or that young woman had a lot to answer for.